John 2:1-11

Do turn to John chapter 2. If you've got a church Bible, it's page 886. And let me encourage

John 2 · chapter mention

! If you didn't hear me at the start, do stay around afterwards. There's no need to rush

! You're off this tea, and we'd love to get to know you. And so we're going through John's

Gospel, and we come this morning to John 2, 1 to 11, to the wedding in Canaan of Galilee,

Canaan of Galilee, where Jesus turned water into wine. As I was working on this passage

this week, I took one of the commentaries that I don't normally look at on John from

a top shelf, and as I pulled the book down from one of the top shelves, a whole collection

of little pieces of chocolate fell onto my head. I'd obviously been hiding them up there.

They were Toblerone. It was delicious. It wasn't what I was expecting. It wasn't what I was

expecting. And I think that nicely sums up John 2, 1 to 11. It's so familiar, isn't it?

So, so familiar. Jesus turning water into wine. But there's something completely wonderful going

on here. I think unexpected. Why would Jesus choose a wedding as the first place to do a miracle?

I mean, it's not saving people from death, is it? It's not saving people from disease.

It's saving them from embarrassment, maybe, and turning water into wine. But it seems so

commonplace. Seems so domestic, undramatic. What's the point of this miracle? And you can hear sermons

on all these kind of themes. Is Jesus the best guest to invite to your wedding? Is John 2 pro-marriage?

So let's have a sermon on marriage. Is this passage pro-wine? Or is it anti-wine? As one of the commentators

incredibly says. Or are we meant to be like Mary, Jesus' mother, speaking words of wisdom?

And I hope you'll be grateful to know that it's none of those things. And John actually teaches

something, asks something about the reason why he includes the sign. Look at verse 11.

Look at verse 11, what it says.

This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory.

So by the time we get to the end of the Gospel of John, John tells us,

listen, if I'd written everything that Jesus did, all the books in all the world would not be able to contain them.

And so I've had to be really selective. I've selected the different signs.

He selects what he reports to us. And there are only seven of these miraculous signs that John writes.

This is one of them. And so the basis on which John chooses the signs is so that you would see that Jesus

is the Son of God, and that today you might believe in Jesus, and you might have life in his name.

And so turning water into wine is not just some big power miracle.

It is a sign that points you to something.

It shows you something else. It's not a party trick.

And when John says it's the first of his signs, he could mean it's the first chronologically.

It's the first one that he did.

And that he'd not done any miracles before this.

But the same word is used at the start of the Gospel, in the beginning.

And so the word, it can mean first, not just chronologically, but in primacy.

As in primary, that the sign of water into wine is actually foundational.

The sign of John 2 is the basis on which all the other signs are built.

And I think John is saying to you and I that the turning of the water into wine is actually a doorway sign

to all the others.

That you won't really understand all the other signs unless you understand this sign.

And I know it's so obvious, isn't it?

It's so obvious that this miracle is a miracle of change.

It's a miracle of transformation from one thing into another, of water into wine.

And that is the sign of the great change that Jesus has come to bring.

Of what it means to have life in his name.

And so do you remember last week, the second last verse of John chapter 1,

John 1 · chapter mention

said you will see greater things.

You'll see greater things than these, who was it?

Nathaniel.

Well, what are these greater things?

You go straight into chapter 2, verse 1, here they are.

Jesus has said, isn't he, I am the connection between heaven and earth.

But you will see greater things than this.

Well, what does it look like?

In the ordinary, common circumstances of our lives?

Well, it's complete transformation.

It's water into wine.

That's why this passage starts on the third day.

Do you notice that in verse 1?

Chapter 1, do you remember where that starts?

It starts in eternity.

In the beginning was the Word.

Do you remember that?

And it comes right down to earth.

It moves from cosmic to practical, personal.

From cosmic right down to individual.

And so chapter 2, verse 1, it's a new week.

It's a new week.

The third day.

This new week, because what Jesus is doing is nothing short of new creation.

We've spoiled the old creation.

And Jesus has come to restore, to recreate, to transform.

And this sign is a demonstration showing that.

And the reason that this is important, the reason that we're even talking about that today,

is that what Jesus did then, he is able to do now.

And he is more than able and willing to do that for you now.

And so I want to look at this passage around two surprises.

There are two surprising things.

And the first surprise is, he shows us the basis of the change.

That's the first surprise, the basis of the change.

And he points to Jesus' death.

The second surprise shows us the result of the change.

And it points to Jesus' life in us.

So here's the first surprise.

The basis of our change.

And I think the surprise is this interaction between Mary and Jesus.

I don't know whether you picked it up when Chris read it to us.

It's so abrupt, isn't it, that little interchange?

Despite the best attempts of commentators to smooth it over,

Jesus' words to his mother are sharp.

Verses 1 and 2.

On the third day, there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee.

And the mother of Jesus was there.

Jesus was also invited to the wedding with his disciples.

And the event is played out like a perfectly normal Saturday afternoon wedding.

You get the date, you get the occasion, you get the place.

You get the guest list.

It's a family wedding.

It's in a little place not far from Nazareth.

And it may well be a relative of Mary's.

Mary is invited.

She certainly seems to be involved in the wedding.

And Jesus is invited.

And five very big eating disciples are invited too.

And it's likely Mary is related to the family.

She seems to be in close touch with the kitchen staff.

She may be helping.

And before we go on, it's worth pointing out, isn't it,

that Jesus is very different from John the Baptist.

Jesus had a social life.

Jesus is not an ascetic like John the Baptist.

Jesus is not anti-marriage.

He's not anti-parties.

And often in the Gospels, we find him going to a feast, at a feast, or coming from a feast.

And then early on, just at the beginning of verse 3,

there's a catering catastrophe.

The wine runs out.

It's a perfectly normal crisis.

It's the kind of thing that happens to you and to me on a regular basis.

And it's the perfect context for Jesus' first sign.

Because just like the wine running out, we are always running out.

Everything in our lives, every natural joy and pleasure we have runs out.

I mean, this happy wedding couple on their wedding day, with their wedding guests,

even those people are not going to last.

The bride and groom, they might have children, but they will grow old and they will eventually die.

Their health will run out.

Their capacities will run out.

Their time will run out, just like yours and just like mine.

And that's what makes this interchange between Mary and Jesus so surprising.

If you just look down at chapter 2, verse 3, Jesus' mother says to him,

they have no wine.

Whether she said it through gritted teeth, not out loud, they have no wine.

To which he says in verse 4, and it's even sharper in the original,

woman, what does this have to do with me?

What are you to me, woman, literally?

And then Mary says, not to Jesus, but to the servants,

do whatever he tells you.

And I've got to say, honestly, I don't know what to make of it.

I really don't.

Because you can read it all the way from a very positive example of faith,

that Mary is being this wonderfully faith-filled woman,

or you can read it in being a meddling, manipulative mother.

And I can line up the books along that divide.

However, it is a surprise, isn't it?

Jesus' words, they are not rude, but they are unusual.

What are you to me?

And then he says this, my hour, literally, has not yet come.

And he's clearly pushing back on Mary, isn't he?

He is putting a line between himself and his mother.

He's placing a bit of distance between him and his mum.

He's establishing a distance, which I think is a bit of a surprise for Mary.

And it's a surprise for us.

And then when you read John's Gospel, you'll see that Jesus does this again and again.

As somebody comes to him in desperate need,

and they ask for Jesus' help, and Jesus says no.

And then he goes around and he does something more wonderful than the miracle they asked for in the first place.

So, for example, in John chapter 4, an official comes to Jesus, whose son is at the point of death,

John 4 · chapter mention

and asks for Jesus for help, and Jesus' response is a strong rebuke.

Because, you see, the official is in danger of just believing in Jesus' power,

and not believing in Jesus himself.

And he wants to give him the greater gift of believing in himself.

And when the man goes, Jesus heals the boy, even from a distance.

I think of John 11.

Lazarus, Jesus' friend, his close friend, is very sick.

The sisters send off to Jesus and say,

Come, the one you love is sick, Lord.

And they think that Jesus could help before Lazarus died.

They've got no idea that Jesus has power over death itself.

So Jesus waits, doesn't he?

And he waits until Lazarus has been in the grave three days.

And we're told he raises Lazarus from the dead,

and he gives him a greater gift

to show them that he is the Lord of life and death.

And so each time Jesus does this in the gospel,

the key to it is, why is he saying no?

Why is Jesus saying no?

Each time he says no to the person,

he is trying to move them, isn't he?

Out of their spiritual danger, into faith in him.

And here at the wedding feast,

Jesus is indicating to his mum

that there's a change in their relationship.

That he is no longer, if I can put it like this,

primarily Mary's son.

He is primarily the son of God.

That he does not belong to anyone.

He's not going to be there for anyone's agenda.

And so what is the greater thing that he's going to do?

Well, he says, my hour has not yet come.

And if you've read John's gospel,

you'll know that when he talks about the hour,

he is referring to his death on the cross.

It's used seven times,

and each time when Jesus speaks of my hour,

he's referring to the cross.

And so can you see right here,

at the start of his ministry,

in this foundational sign,

Jesus has his death in mind.

That the essence and pivot of his ministry is his death.

And I think that's really helpful to us,

because if he hadn't talked about his death,

then we wouldn't really be able to understand this sign.

Because what you see Jesus is trying to do

by turning water into wine

is a sign of his transformation.

The sign of transformation that he will bring

through his death.

Now, if you've fallen asleep,

as some of you have,

come back for a moment and listen, all right?

It's not, is it,

that Jesus does lots and lots

of wonderful,

magical signs,

and his life is tragically cut short.

That is not the message of the gospel.

All his power

and all his work

run through the nexus of the cross.

Everything goes through the cross.

And it is because of his death

that his power is available to us.

Otherwise, we are just spectators

looking at this miracle.

If you separate Jesus' death from the signs,

in the end,

we just want to use him

for what we want.

He becomes a tool for our agendas

rather than us being drawn

into the plan and agenda of God.

And Jesus keeps warning you about this

all the time.

He feeds the 5,000

and he says something like this.

You are after me

because of the signs,

not really because of what they point to.

I filled your bellies

with food

and that's the only reason

you're following me.

So here's the first surprise.

That Jesus connects

this transformation

with his death.

Water into wine

is a sign of his death.

That is the basis for change.

Secondly, what's the result

of the change?

And the result of the change

is that the life of Jesus

comes to us.

The gospel is all about life.

That is the great theme

of John's gospel.

He's writing these words

so that you might believe in Jesus

and have life in his name

but we need pictures,

don't we?

We need pictures to see

what is that life going to be like?

What is that life all about?

And the basic picture

of somebody who was without God

and without hope

who begins to follow

the Lord Jesus Christ

is that they are changed.

They are transformed.

They are transformed.

They are transformed.

It's like being changed

from ordinary plain water

into something that is living

and fermenting,

if you will,

and changing.

It's not just ideas

we're talking about.

It is not just spiritual change

that is confined

into my inner experience.

It is a miracle

of power

with a particular date

and an occasion

and a guest list.

Here is a change

in the material world

showing what the Lord Jesus Christ

will do for us

if we'll put our trust in him.

And John so wants us

to get this

that he doesn't even show you

the miracle happening.

Did you notice that?

He only shows you the results.

Have you noticed

he does that

all the way through the Gospels?

There's no razzle-dazzle.

The miracle itself is narrated.

The actual changing

of the water and wine

happens in between

verse 7 and verse 8.

Look at verse 7.

Look down there, please.

Jesus tells the servants

to fill in these stone water jars

with water.

They fill them to the brim

the end of verse 7.

The next thing he tells them

draw out, verse 8,

some of the water

and take it to the MC.

But it's already been changed.

The master of ceremonies.

He loves it.

And in case we missed it

verse 9, John tells us

the water has now become wine.

So where did the miracle happen?

It happened somewhere

between the end of verse 7

and the beginning of verse 8.

We don't even get to see it.

But the effects are very big.

What are the effects?

There's three of them.

There's three effects.

Number one, newness.

Number two, goodness.

Number three, fullness.

First, this change that Jesus makes,

it's newness.

And what were the water jars for?

And what were they for?

They were for the Jewish rite

of purification.

They are connected, aren't they,

to washing on the outside.

But by filling them with water

and turning them into wine,

Jesus creates, doesn't he,

something completely new.

Something completely different.

It's not the old with a bit of cordial mixed in

with a bit of squash in it.

It is de novo.

It is a new creation.

It is a different thing.

He has transformed stuff

that was used for ritual,

formal practice

into something which is brilliant

and alive

and will meet ordinary human needs

and will bring joy.

It's what God promised

in the Old Testament.

That when the Messiah would come,

the mountains would drip sweet wine

and all the hills would flow with it

and I will restore the fortunes

of my people Israel.

Jesus is not just shuffling around

the different elements in the world.

He's not like a clever cook

that goes to the cupboard

and says,

I'll see what I can do

with a little bit of this

and a little bit of that.

No, he says,

I will create something new.

He's not just taking natural life

and lifting it to a new level.

He is creating

a different order of things.

And so if you make wine,

some of you have made wine

and you home-brewed it,

it is a carefully controlled process

of decay and fermentation

for flavor.

And there's a need

for an aging process

to bring out the flavor,

so I'm told.

And it depends, doesn't it,

on the bottling

and the storage

and the casks

and the corks.

Some of you will remember

that Graham used to home-brew

the wine Chateau Weeks,

as it was known,

that we used in communion.

And we're very grateful

he did that for many years.

But,

it could have probably done

with a bit more of a process,

that wine,

but there was a process to it,

wasn't there, you know?

And there are some very expensive bottles

of wine about,

aren't there?

And the most expensive bottle

of red wine

in London at the moment

is a 1987

Henri J.Richberg.

Rieschberg.

Henri J.Richberg.

Grand Chew,

as they say in Wales.

It'll cost you £31,200.

That's a bottle of red.

The most expensive bottle of white

ever sold in London

was a 200-year-old bottle

of Chateau D'Kiem.

It was purchased in 2011

for a whopping £75,000.

What Jesus does

in these two verses,

in between these two verses,

is completely different

from all of that.

It is instantly perfect.

It's not 200 years old.

It's not in 1987.

It's instantly perfect.

The MC says

it's the best wine I've ever tasted.

What vintage is this?

Jesus says it was made

about a minute and a half ago.

It's what Jesus has come to do,

isn't it?

Jesus has come to give

newness of life.

To make you new.

To bring you into a new creation.

Jesus has come to give you

a taste of what heaven is like.

Something that is constantly renewing.

Newness.

The second word is goodness.

Growing goodness.

I love the MC in this wedding.

You've got to love his honesty.

He's probably a semi-pro,

isn't he?

He's been hired indicator

for weddings,

make sure the guests are happy,

the food keeps coming,

that the wine keeps being serviced.

He knows a thing or two

about wine.

And when he tastes the wine,

he is utterly gobsmacked.

He's got no idea

where it's come from,

but he's astounded

by the quality.

He's never tasted wine

like this before.

And so he calls the groom over

and he smiles at him.

And I think he winks at the groom

and he says,

you crafty devil,

you've done the exact reverse

of what normally happens.

Every other wedding I've ever done,

they've served the good stuff

at first,

and when the people have drunk

quite a lot,

they bring out the rubbish.

Poor old groom doesn't know

what he's talking about.

But he's smiling as well.

The MC says,

you've done the reverse,

you've saved the very best

to the last.

You see,

the normal way it is

in our lives,

the normal direction

is the head into decline,

isn't it?

We go from life to death.

We decay.

But the order of Christianity

is the opposite.

We go from death to life.

And when Jesus makes water

into wine,

he is reversing

the normal order of things.

And that is the direction

of growing goodness.

It means that for you and I today,

if we'll trust in Christ,

we don't have to live in the past.

You don't have to wallow

in regret.

But Christ has come for me.

He has entered into this world

to give me life,

which means the best

is in the future.

And he's not just

fixing up the old.

He's not even replacing it.

He's not just adding

good things

into our declining lives.

He is transforming

our lives

with his own life,

with a growing goodness.

He's taking the old waters

of purification,

if you will,

and turning them

into fermenting wine,

bringing life

and abundance.

When you think

about those jars,

those jars that we used

for purifying yourselves,

for cleaning yourselves up,

it's really important

you see that the change

that Jesus is bringing

is different to that.

It's different

than just purification.

Let me be really clear

about this.

When Jesus gives us

his life,

it is more than purity.

When Jesus gives us

his life,

it is more than forgiveness.

It is more than cleansing,

as important as they are.

Jesus hasn't just

come to take away

your sin.

He comes also

to give us

what we don't have.

Because removing

the dirt

and the stains

is essentially,

isn't it,

a negative act

and can never

really restore

something

to being new.

It can't bring

fullness.

It can't bring joy.

But what Christ

has done

and what he has

come to do

in you and me

is not just

to remedy

our defects,

but he has come

to make a new creation,

a new life.

And it begins

in this life.

It is broken

into this world

right now.

And it grows

and it increases

in hope

and joy

and fullness.

So the life

of Jesus

means newness.

Goodness.

Newness.

And finally,

it means fullness.

What does life

in Jesus look like?

I don't know

if you've done

the maths,

but each of the

water jars

contain about

20 to 30 gallons.

They're massive.

It's mind-boggling.

It's something

like 700 litres

of the best wine.

wine.

The Old Testament

says God

gave wine

to gladden hearts.

That's why it's

important at the

Lord's table

we have wine.

It's to gladden hearts.

It's a picture

of fullness.

And here,

with 700 litres

of the best wine,

there's a lot

of gladness.

I need to say,

don't we,

that we spoil this

with our excess.

Like all of God's

good gifts,

we use it for evil.

It's really easy

to become enslaved

to God's good gifts.

Just to be clear,

I need to say to you,

of course,

getting drunk

is a sin.

It is something

that Christians

don't do.

But here,

clearly,

wine stands

for joy

and gladness

and fullness.

And the point

I'm making,

and John is making,

is that Jesus

does not provide

the bare minimum,

does he?

he gives ridiculous

provision.

Jesus doesn't just

cover the embarrassment

of this young couple,

he gives over the top

lavish satisfaction.

It's like

the miracle we'll see

with the feeding

of the 5,000.

Do you remember that?

And he doesn't just

give enough

for the 5,000.

He leaves baskets

and baskets

and baskets

and baskets

over.

over.

And that's what

verse 16

of chapter 1

is all about

if you just glance there.

This is what

it's all about.

John says,

from his fullness

we've received

grace upon grace.

And John is talking

about the fullness

of Jesus

filling us.

We all know,

don't we,

what it is to be

filled with self-pity.

I certainly do.

Or with pride.

Or to be filled

with anger.

or bitterness.

Or to be filled

with envy.

Or to be filled

with self-entightenment.

And when you're

filled with self-pity

it pushes everything

out, doesn't it?

So you can't really

think about anything

else.

You've got no room

for anything else.

Well,

Jesus' deepest

desire for you

is that you

would be filled

with all his fullness.

Because his fullness

is the only thing

that can overwhelm

our fears

and our pride

and our self-preoccupation.

And this is the

character of the life

that Jesus comes

to bring.

It's not just

free his grace.

It is free.

But it is full

and it is

extravagant

and plentiful.

The Lord Jesus

doesn't give you

scraps of himself.

He brings himself

with all of his

fullness to us.

I spoke with

an older man

recently

who said to me

that he had made

a list of the

advantages of

growing old.

These are some

of the things

that he had

on his list.

These are the

advantages

that he as an

older man

as a Christian

he said this is

the advantage

of growing old.

Number one was

I've got more

time to pray

for others.

Number two

I've got more

time to go back

over my life

and see God's

good hand

of sovereign

kindness

to me.

Number three

I've got more

time to volunteer

to help others

both near to

where he used

to live

and in his

church.

Number four

I've got more

time to give

specific thanks

thanks for

specific things.

That is

fullness.

That's what

the Apostle

Paul prayed

for the

Christians in

Ephesus

that they

would be

filled with

all the

fullness of

God.

And I'm

aware,

I'm not

fully aware

but I'm

aware a

little bit

as your

pastor

of some

of the

difficulties

of your

circumstances

and some

of you

who are

suffering

greatly.

And the

Lord Jesus

has not

come into

this world

to give

us a

free pass

from

suffering.

He doesn't

airlift you

out of your

difficulties

but what

he does

is he so

fills us

with his

life that

in those

difficulties

we know

his plenty

and we

know his

joy in

the midst

of our

difficulties.

And my

experience has

been

that those

Christians who

suffer most

when they

are abiding

in Jesus

are those

who are

most filled

with joy.

And so

this is the

first and

the foundational

sign.

It is about

the change

that Jesus

has come to

bring.

And I

wonder if you

know this

change.

Longingly,

inwardly,

personally,

really,

the basis

of his

change is

his death.

The effects

of his

change are

newness of

life and

a life of

goodness and

a life of

fullness.

And you

might wonder

why in

verse 11,

just look

there,

there's the

last surprise,

Jesus tells

us that the

disciples

believed.

But didn't

they believe

in chapter

1?

How come

they believe

in chapter

2,

verse 11,

when we're

told that

they believe

in chapter

1?

And I

think it's

this,

I think

that believing

is a

process.

It's not

a one-off

sign on the

dotted line.

Every single

one of us

here are

somewhere along

that process,

I hope,

of believing.

The disciples

believed in

Jesus and

began to

follow him.

And as

they followed

him,

Jesus showed

more of

himself to

them,

and as he

manifested

more of

himself to

them,

so they

trusted and

believed in

him more.

And that's

exactly how it

works for us

today.

Let's pray

together.